The average fan, the general public, the casual viewer of the NFL, is for the most part unaware, or at the very least, not AS aware, of the very imminent potential, possibility, likelihood that there will be no NFL football in 2011. They do not know or realize the extent of what the pundits, sportswriters, sport journalists, sports bloggers and other nattering nabobs are keenly aware of. A lockout of the NFL in 2011. Which means, for all intents and purposes for the average American, a day, and no doubt MANY days, without football. No Green Bay Packers, no Dallas Cowboys, no San Diego Chargers, no cheatin’ New England Patriots. Instead it will days of waiting around, pissing and moaning, with Who Dat? Who Dat? Who Dat? echoing into oblivion.
Yes, America. The Day Without Football is coming. Best prepare yourself NOW.
Brian Kelly, Notre Dame’s new Head Coach is under absolutely NO pressure whatsoever.
Now I don’t intend to imply that there will no football of ANY sort. As far and I know college and high-school football will play on. But since America’s #1 sport is NFL Football, and America’s #2 sport is Waiting For NFL Football to start, it’s fairly safe to assume that most Fan’s will be deprived of football unless they find some alternatives.
College Football will play on, and maybe it’s time to get behind your local college team or your alma mater, even if it’s Division III, or your local high-school team. Bundle up and go to the games at the local high school. It is never too early to set up or join a Big 10 Fantasy Football League or reserve a place for your 2011 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association High School Fantasy Football draft party.
As always, I’m rooting for the Badgers, and this year I DO believe they will be playing in the Rose Bowl. They will give Bret Bielema his first Rose Bowl win. But in the big time Division I programs, I wonder what the mindset of the seniors will be knowing that there might likely be no Draft and no football in 2011 when they graduate? Well..there might be a draft, but, so what if teams won’t be singing players and negotiating deals in the absence of Collective Bargaining Agreement. I know this all seems a bit dire, but the possibility of no football in 2011 is VERY real.
If things are not worked out in time, it’s going to be grim in 2011. So the time to prepare is now.
As for me, I’ve got REAL football, of course. English Premier League. My Chelsea Blues. The Fulham Cottagers. I’m playing English Premier League Fantasy Football this season. So I won’t miss a beat when 2011 comes around.
I’ve even found an outlet for my Green and Gold fix! When the Packers are locked out in 2011, I can still root for the Green and Gold! In the Championship League, I’m rooting for the newly promoted Norwich City Canaries. My Canaries just made it 2 in a row with a thrilling 2-0 win over Swansea in the final minutes.
Another team I’m following is the Berwick Rangers. Berwick is the only team from England to play in a Scottish league. Berwick-upon-Tweed is a beautiful little town in the far NE of England on the border with Scotland. I spent a bit of time in Berwick so I’ll be rooting for them through thick and thin. Right now, they’re down in the 3rd Division of Scottish football, but they’re kicking ASS at the moment…top of the table coming off today’s 1-4 whipping of Clyde. This following a 6-2 spankage of Elgin City.
So, there will be football, if you look for it.
Tonight, the other Green and Gold ((*lol*)) will be teeing off against the Seattle Sounders, I mean the Seahawks. I will be tuned into to this to see how Bryan Bulaga and Morgan Burnett continue to develop. Those two dudes will be crucial if the Packers are going to win the Super Bowl. Also, Matt Flynn will have to notch his game up. As will A.J. Hawk. Ditto the special teams. Ditto the pass rush.
The Packers lost their pre-season opener. And they could lose tonight as well. The final score doesn’t matter much though in the pre-season if certain units play well and show progress. Chelsea lost all their pre-season games and came out with a vengeance against West Brom…a 6-0 beat down at Stamford Bridge, and as I type this, they have just stomped Wigan into oblivion by the same 0-6 score. Wigan, after last week’s 0-4 beating at the hands of newly promoted Blackpool ((who got their own 6-0 comeuppance at the hands of Arsenal this morning)), must be wishing that THEY had gotten relegated and not Burnley or Portsmouth.
So when the guns are shooting live ammo, that’s when the final score matters. As long the first string offensive line and the defense comes together, all will be well when the curtain rises and the music begins to play.
And now, it’s time for a celebratory beverage. I have a few bottles of MICHELOB Amber Bock. I will soldier on through.